Tag: AngularJS

After discovering yet another interesting Javascript framework for the web application development recently (Vue.js), I decided to put together this short list of some the emerging and more popular frameworks out there today for building user interfaces.

Emerging

Mithril is a light-weight robust MVC framework with no dependencies, a small API and small learning curve. Mithril implements a virtual DOM tree similar to React.js, however Mithril’s uncompiled templates run natively in the browser and compile into static Javascript data structures. Mithril.js was initially released in March, 2014 by Leo Horie. Source available at https://github.com/lhorie/mithril.

Popular

AngularJS a framework by Google that binds HTML (views) to Javascript objects (models). AngularJS usage rivals that of BackboneJS, according to JavaScript analytics service Libscore, AngularJS is used on over 10,000 websites including The Weather Channel, Lego, Intel, Sprint and ABC News. AngularJS was initially released in September 2009 by Misko Hevery. Source available at https://github.com/angular/angular.js.

File

Version

Size

angular.min.js

1.4.8

145 kb

Ember.js is a framework based on the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern and follows Convention over Configuration (CoC). Ember has a large API that covers traditional MVC patterns and a broad range of helper utilities. Ember 2.0 has a brand new high performance rendering engine named Glimmer, and server-side rendering is provided with FastBoot. After Handlebars in 2010, on December 8, 2011, Yehuda Katz released Ember.js. Source available at https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js.

File

Version

Size

ember.min.js

2.2.0

435 kb

React.js is the framework that powers Facebook and Instagram’s user interface and is one of the fastest growing JavaScript frameworks today. Features include one-way data flow and a virtual-DOM using an in-memory data structure cache process so only applicable nodes on the client browser’s DOM are updated for high performance complex user interfaces. React.js was created by Jordan Walke, a ‎Software Engineer at Facebook and was initially released in May, 2013 by Facebook and Instagram. Source available at https://github.com/facebook/react.

File

Version

Size

react.min.js

0.14.6

133 kb

react-dom.min.js

0.14.6

1 kb

Total

134 kb

Backbone.js is a light weight framework that provides a RESTful JSON interface for data models, views, collections, and events. Backbone.js is used on over 12,000 websites according to Libscore including Linkedin, Pinterest, ESPN, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. Backbone.js was initially released on October 13, 2010 by Jeremy Ashkenas. Source available at https://github.com/jashkenas/backbone/.

From the Backbone.js website: Backbone’s only hard dependency is Underscore.js ( >= 1.7.0) also created by Jeremy Ashkenas. For RESTful persistence and DOM manipulation with Backbone.View, include jQuery ( >= 1.11.0).

Libraries such as Lo-Dash instead of Underscore.js and Zepto instead of jQuery work with varying degrees of compatibility.